Flying-machine.



L. MAU'RER.

Patented Deo. 1, 1914.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 1111i. 11. 1914.

Wifi/*ness es LUCAS MAURER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

'FLYING-MACINE.

Application led March 11.

To all w71 om it may Concern Be it known that I, LUCAS MAURER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hyde Park, Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, whose post-office address is East Dedham, Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Flying- Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompany- -ing drawings, is a specification, likeI characters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to flying machines and has particular reference to that part of the machine whica is depended upon largely 'to furnish stability and sustaining power, and commonly termed the wing or plane.

At the present time it is common practice to provide the body with planes of suitable material extended laterally .from each side of the body, which planes are sometimes movable vertically, more or less,l relatively to each other to assist in guiding the niachine upward and downward. ln all such machines the center of gravity is relatively near the top plane and as a consequence the machine is easily overturned by a sudden gust of wind and is, at all times, difficult to manage for this reason.

l have invented an improved construction of flying machine which overcomes this difficulty and among other novel features possesses planes of unusual sustaining power.

ln the drawings of an illustrative embodiment of my invention described herein, Figure 1 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 2, a detail of the clutch mechanism for operating the planes, and Fig. a further detail of the operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1, 2, my improved flying machine may comprise a frame or body 1 ofsuitable conventional construction. This body or frame may be provided with a usual engine 2, for operating. b v any convenient means. the propellers il. 3. also of usual construction and the body may also be provided with a vertical rudder 4. and horizontal rudder 5. As no novelty is claimed in respect of either of these members, their detailed illustration or description is not necessary. Substantially vertically positioned relative to the car 1, and disposed at suitable points longitudinally thereon. are two plane-bearing or supporting posts or sleeves 6, 7, which may be rlgidly held in position by guys or stays 8, 8, secured at their lower ends to the body.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 19ML.,

1914. Serial No. 824,025.

lVithin each 'of these posts is rotatably i mounted a shaft 9, 10, in suitable bearings,

and provided each, at its top, with a `sub-' 'stantially circular umbrella-like plane .or

disk 11.- 12, of suitable material, as aluminum. These planes may be properly strengthened and supported by ribs 13 and stayed by stays or guys of wire or other material 13 to make them preferably, very rigid so that they will not buckle when ascending against a strong pressure of air. 1 have found by experience that by rotating these planes rapidly, it adds much to their sustaining power, presumably because, when so' rotated, the stratum of air immediately beneath them is compressed and its resistance to the descending planes is thereby increased. Inasmuch, also, as the sustaining power of the disks or planes is increased by making them convex, in my opinion, because such form tends to confine the air more or less beneath the plane and to compress the air more when the planes are rotated. they are preferably made convex to any desired degree, but I- have found if deflected in about the ratio of one inch to fourteen inches of diameter, they give good results. l have also found that a diameter of twenty ieet for each plane is a satisfactory and convenient size. While I have shown herein two planes, one only may be used for a small machine. For operating these disks, l have provided at the lower end of each shaft 9, 10, a bevel gear 14, in mesh with and adapted to be rotated by opposed bevel gears 15, 16, loose on a shaft 17, rotated by a gear 18 thereon in connection with the gear 19 on the main shaft 2() of the engine. On the shaft 17 and between each pair of loose gears 15, 16, is mounted a clutch lcollar 21 adapted to engage a cooperating clutch member on the inner face of each of the gears 15, 16. This collar 21 has a circum ferential groove 22inwhich is received one end of a lever 23 pivoted at 24 and connected at its opposite and lower end to a link 25 adapted to be actuated by a lever '2G conveniently located for the operator.

Each plane is controlled .by a separate lever so that each may be operated inde- ]iendently if desired, as shown in Fig. 3. Obviously by throwing Vthe hand lever 26 to cause the clutch lever 23 to lock the collar 2l to the gear 15, the plane will be rotated in one direction, while if the lever 26 is thrown to lock the collar to the opposite gear 16, the plane will be rotated m the opposite direction. y.

I have discovered that by simultaneously rotating the planes in the same direction, they assist in propelling the machine, while if they are simultaneously operated in opposite directions, they retard the progress of the machine. If the propeller is stopped and the planes are rotated in opposite directions, they tend to neutralize the effect of the wind current and, if it is not too strong, they will substantially hold the machine at rest, in so far as travel is concerned. Uf course the machine is guided mainly by the two rudders. In a machine constructed as herein described, it will be evident that the center of gravity is far below the planes 1l, 12, and therefore the danger of overturning is reduced to a minimum.

It is a well known fact that a disk or plane of thin, stiif material may be pro-y pelled through the air edgewise for a long distance, the fiat plane being buoyed up by its proportionally large air-engaging area as compared lwith' its weight, and I have discovered that such bodies have great -sustaining power. I have also discovered that planes curvilinear in form, similar to that illustrated herein, may be propelled with the expenditure of much less force thanv can a plane the edge of which is substantially straight. This I understand to be because the air-cutting edge of the plane is brought substantially to a point, and it lcuts progressively as distinguished `from an edge that cuts all at once throughout its length, on the same principlethat a point of'a lmife can be thrust into a mass ofmaterial farther than can the whole cutting edge of the knife be so thrust at once. On this account also the machine is more easily guided as it responds more gently and with less .abruptness to the manipulation of the rudder following the narrow air-splitting edge of the curvilinear plane than it does following the relatively long straight airagrario splitting edge of the conventional Hat plane. I haveA also discovered that by rotating the planes the natural tendency of the machine to drop, when the propeller is not running, greatly retarded and a descent can be effected much more gradually and vsafely than it can be with a machine equipped with the common or usual form of planes.

This form of plane also possesses another great advantage, viz: even though it -be badly damaged,y as by having many holes made in it, for instance by bullets, it does not lose all its effectiveness but it may still be used with good results. This feature therefore makes it particularly valuable for use in constructing machines for use in War time when they are particularly subject to damage.

I-Iaving described one form of my invention Which, however, may doubtless be varied in many details Without departing from the spirit thereof, and within the scope of the appended claim, I claim:

A flying machine having a substantially cigar-shaped frame, plane supporting members thereon in substantially the central longitudinal plane thereof, movable curvilinear planes thereon, a gear on each supporting member, a plurality of loosely mounted gears in mesh therewith and provided with clutch members, a clutch member disposed between said loosely mounted gears and provided with means for throwing it into engagement at will with either of said gears, motive power connected with said gears for driving the same and a plurality of propellers intermediate the ends of said frame and between said planes.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LUCAS MAURICE.

Witnesses Ilvnnnrr S. EMERY, lE. IRENE CHANDLER. 

